


It's Time You Knew

by tfowwsliyh



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Finds Out About Merlin’s Magic (Merlin), Arthur finds out about Mordred (Merlin), Balinor is a ghost, Dragonlord Merlin (Merlin), Emrys Revealed, Gen, Good Mordred (Merlin), Magic Revealed, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), POV Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), POV Merlin (Merlin), Post-Season/Series 04, Quest to the crystal cave
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:27:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22997695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tfowwsliyh/pseuds/tfowwsliyh
Summary: As Arthur's prophesied death approaches, Merlin makes a plan that he hopes will save his King's life. It involves a dragon, a knight, a magical cave, and the complete and honest truth. Merlin just hopes Arthur will trust him.
Relationships: Balinor & Merlin (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Mordred (Merlin), Merlin/Mordred/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 223





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I've written so bare with me. Please leave me a comment if you find any spelling or grammar errors or if you just want to give me some feedback!

"That's all I have for today. You are dismissed," Arthur concluded. Friendly chatter and the scraping of chairs quickly filled the large chamber as another meeting of Arthur's knights of the round table came to a close. Arthur sighed from his spot at the table and looked fondly at the knights. He was incredibly proud of what they had all accomplished together. Camelot was flourishing, its people were healthy and safe, and Arthur, for once, was content. Sure, he knew that Morgana was growing in power and getting ready to attack Camelot, but Arthur had a lot of confidence in his knights and in himself. 

The council chamber began to empty as the knights left for dinner - or in Gwaine's case to go to the tavern. Arthur stood and began gathering his notes before noticing that Merlin was still there leaning against a large pillar, staring at the floor with his arms crossed. His lips were pressed tight and his forehead was creased. _Uh oh_ , Arthur thought, _what's his problem?_

"You okay, Merlin?" Arthur asked.

Merlin jumped at the sound and forced a smile onto his face when he saw Arthur.

"I'm fine. Just, uh, thinking," he said quickly.

"Well, now you've got me worried," Arthur joked and saw Merlin roll his eyes before walking over to the King and gathering the rest of his notes silently.

Arthur noticed Merlin had been uncharacteristically quiet lately. He often looked as though he was thinking very hard about something important, but he always brushed it off with a smile whenever Arthur asked him what was wrong. Merlin recently had also made a habit of going missing for a few hours at a time. On one of these occasions, Arthur had caught Merlin returning from the woods, saying he was collecting herbs even though he had none with him. When Merlin wasn't missing, he was eerily quiet and hardly ever responded to Arthur's teasing. There was no doubt in Arthur's mind that something strange - stranger than usual anyway - was going on with Merlin.

\--------

The next afternoon, Arthur found himself impatiently pacing around his room. He needed to get ready for a meeting and Merlin was missing again. Where the hell did he go this time? Rather than call for another servant to help him, Arthur decided to go look for Merlin and stormed out of his room, heading towards the physician's chambers. 

Arthur arrived at Gaius's and could hear him and Merlin having a conversation through the thin door. Arthur raised his arm to knock and was ready to yell at Merlin for his tardiness when he heard his own name being mentioned inside the room. Arthur frowned. _Was Merlin talking about him? What did he say about the King when Arthur wasn't around?_ Arthur didn't really want to eavesdrop and he hesitated for a moment before leaning in to listen anyway. 

"--I really think he should know, Gaius," Merlin's voice was easy enough for Arthur to recognize after all these years of working together. The sound of someone pacing around the room was loud against the stone floor and Arthur could sense a bit of worry in Merlin's voice as he continued. "It's time. He trusts me and I think with Morgana and everything that's coming--"

"Merlin, how can you be sure he will still trust you afterwards as well?" Gaius interjected. 

Arthur heard Merlin sigh. "I don't know," he said tiredly. "I guess I'm just going to have to trust him."

Arthur was beginning to feel uncomfortable eavesdropping on Merlin while he was talking about trust. He straightened up and took a breath before knocking loudly on the door. The voices inside stopped immediately.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted. He decided it would be best to just ignore what he had heard--for now.

The next few hours were uneventful. Merlin helped Arthur into his formal clothes for the meeting. The meeting itself was extremely dull and several members of the royal council found themselves stifling yawns. Arthur would occasionally look over to Merlin who was standing by his usual pillar, once again looking as though he was deep in thought as he stared off at nothing in particular. Arthur was worried about his friend, and the memory of what he overheard between Merlin and Gaius did not ease his conscience. What did Merlin want to tell Arthur? It sounded important, but why did he sound so afraid to speak with him? And... what did Merlin possibly think he could say that would make Arthur doubt his trust in such a loyal servant?

Arthur shook these thoughts from his head and tried to pay more attention to the council session, he could worry about Merlin later.

\--------

Later that evening, the sound of Merlin's quick footsteps echoed around the empty castle halls. He hurried past lit torches and darkened windows as he approached Arthur's chamber. His stomach was in knots and his hands sweaty. He stopped outside Arthur's door and took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. Lying to the king was something he did often, but it was never easy. 

Merlin knocked on the door.

"Enter," Called a voice from within.

Merlin pushed the door open and found Arthur sitting at his desk, reading some papers. 

"Ah, Merlin. To what do I owe the pleasure," Arthur said warmly.

Merlin shuffled nervously before starting, "Sire, have you ever heard of a place called the Crystal Cave?"

Arthur frowned. "I might have heard it mentioned once, why?"

"Well, Gaius told me that there is ancient knowledge buried in the cave that would help you defeat Morgana. I know it sounds strange, but I think it's worth a visit."

Arthur thought for a moment. "What kind of ancient knowledge?" He asked doubtfully.

"If I knew then we wouldn't have to go, would we?" Merlin teased.

Arthur frowned, pretending to be offended by Merlin's sass before running a hand through his hair. "How far away is this cave?"

"About a day. The journey is safe enough that we would only need to bring one knight." Merlin's pulse quickened at this part. He hoped the part about the knight didn't sound suspiciously specific. Arthur couldn't know, but it was incredibly important that only one knight came with them.

"Just a day? That's not too bad," Arthur scratched his chin, "And I don't have any important events to attend in the next few days."

"So... you want to go?" Merlin asked hopefully. Convincing Arthur was easier than he thought it would be. 

"Alright, we'll leave tomorrow morning. Make sure the horses are ready, I'll tell Leon to meet us at the stables." 

"Uh, well, actually I thought we would bring Mordred this time," Merlin said quickly.

"Are you telling me what to do?" Arthur stared at Merlin.

"No, sire, it's just that he's a relatively new knight and I think it might be nice to--"

Arthur cut him off. "I'm kidding, Merlin, we can bring Mordred." Arthur got up and made his way to the door. "I'll tell Mordred. Make sure we have enough supplies, we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Merlin nodded and held the door open for Arthur as he walked off towards the knight's living quarters. Merlin let out a breath as he watched Arthur turn a corner. If asking Arthur to come on the trip was this hard, how the hell was Merlin going to gather the courage to follow through with the rest of his plan? Merlin rubbed his face. He had faced serkets, bandits, trolls, and certain death more times than he could care to remember, how could he be so afraid of talking to his friend? He let out a hollow laugh. 

How could he be so scared of sharing one secret?

\--------

Merlin didn't sleep that night. He went out and packed some supplies for their quest right after he finished talking to Arthur and then snuck out of the castle and headed into the woods. He walked for close to an hour before he came to a stop in a large clearing. The skies were clear and the moon was almost full, plenty of light for Merlin to look around carefully to see if there were any people nearby. Once satisfied that he wouldn't be overheard he turned back to the sky and shouted in a deep and throaty voice, calling Kilgharrah to the clearing. 

Merlin waited for a few minutes before he felt his hair start to blow around his face. He looked up to see an immense and terrifying-looking dragon had suddenly appeared. It landed heavily on the ground in front of the young man in a way that would have made anyone else shit their pants out of fear. The great dragon folded his wings in behind him and looked down at Merlin.

"Hello, young warlock," called the beast's booming voice, "Have you made a decision?"

"Yes," Merlin shouted up at his friend. "We are leaving tomorrow to the crystal cave and I convinced him to bring Mordred."

"Well done. What do you need of me in your plan?"

"No matter what I tell him, I don't think Arthur is going to believe me. I might need you to help me convince I am telling the truth. You should hide near the cave in case I need to call you over. Make sure you stay hidden until then. If Arthur sees you he will forget all about the cave and try to kill you."

Kilgharrah chuckled. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time. I will do as you ask, Merlin."

"Thank you." 

"This is a very brave thing for you to do, young warlock," Kilgharrah bent down so his face was closer to Merlin. "Since we first met, you have grown in both power and in spirit. It is wise of you to share your identity with Arthur."

"So you think I'm making the right decision?"

"Absolutely." Kilgharrah's voice was so certain and authoritative that this single word temporarily erased all of Merlin's doubts.

Kilgharrah nodded at the boy and took off into the night sky leaving Merlin to stand alone under the moon, thinking about how much his life was about to change.

\--------

Merlin yawned again and began to rub his eyes. The morning sun was already beginning to warm his back as he, Arthur, and Mordred lead their horses out of Camelot and into the woods that Merlin had left just a few hours before. Merlin wasn't sure how much information Arthur told Mordred about their 'quest', but Merlin thought the less Mordred knew the better. Merlin had always made it clear in the past that he did not trust Mordred and he knew the druid would grow suspicious if he discovered that Merlin specifically requested to bring him on this mission. So far, Mordred hadn't asked any questions about where they were going or tried to talk to Merlin at all. Maybe Arthur didn't tell Mordred anything about the trip? Merlin hoped that was the case.

Truthfully, Arthur had not told Mordred anything about the quest. When he told Mordred to be ready to leave in the morning, Arthur was so distracted thinking about Merlin's behaviour that he forgot to divulge any of the few details he knew to Mordred. Mordred was surprised to see that it was just the three of them when he met up with Arthur and Merlin in the morning, but he wanted to show that he trusted Merlin and the King so he did not ask any questions.

\--------

The first few hours of the ride were quiet. Merlin did not speak unless spoken to first and that worried Arthur. He had missed his servant's jokes even if most of them were at his expense.

The journey was uneventful, they hadn't run into a single person since leaving Camelot. There were no bandits, druids, travellers, or hunters around to slow them down and the group was able to travel a lot more quickly than anticipated. Once the woods began to darken, the trio stopped and Merlin silently set up camp. He lit a fire and served them stew, only speaking to ask if anyone wanted seconds. 

After they had finished eating and Merlin had quickly rinsed their dishes in a nearby stream, the three of them sat around the fire, staring into its flames.

Arthur sat on a log. He couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed with Merlin. It was like his usual annoying cheeriness had been drained out of him. It felt as though his gloomy mood was sucking the life out of everything around him as well; The fire seemed weak, the plants on the forest floor seemed less green than they should, even the tree leaves seemed to sag. Arthur looked over at Merlin who was sitting against a tree with his arms crossed and his face worked up in concentration.

"Merlin. Something is bothering you." Arthur said.

"Was that a question?" Merlin replied without looking up.

"I'm worried about you, idiot. Tell me what's wrong and don't say it's nothing." Arthur stared hard at Merlin who looked around and sighed. He looked as though he was trying to choose the right words.

"I guess I'm just worried about tomorrow. What if what you find out tomorrow isn't... good news?" Merlin asked carefully.

Mordred looked between the two of them curiously before Arthur answered, "Any news that would help us to defeat Morgana is sure to be good."

Merlin said nothing. He just nodded as he stared deeper into the fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who knows how to use a semicolon? lmao not me.  
> I hope this chapter made sense because I don't really know how to write.
> 
> I'm working on the next chapter right now, this story's probably only going to have two or three chapters total but who knows.


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin couldn’t tell if he wanted the night to pass slower or faster. He dreaded the eventual rise of the sun, and yet he hated waiting for it. The bright light of the full moon sifted through the canopy leaves and landed on the peacefully sleeping faces of Arthur and Mordred. Sleep did not come to Merlin. He was doomed to spend the hours watching their bright fire weaken and become softly glowing embers until the faint light was replaced by the warm rays of the morning sun.

Mordred woke before Arthur did. He rubbed his eyes and sat up to see Merlin awake as well, sitting against a tree. 

_ ‘Mordred,’ _ Merlin’s voice rang loudly through Mordred’s mind. Mordred frowned. Merlin never spoke to him with magic. In fact, he hadn’t done so since Mordred was a child and Merlin was trying to smuggle him out of Camelot. 

_ ‘Morning, Merlin,’ _ Mordred replied hesitantly.

Merlin didn’t say anything right away, he instead brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Mordred waited for Merlin to continue, and almost decided that that was the end of their conversation when Merlin abruptly spoke into his mind again.

_ ‘We’re going to the crystal cave.’  _

Mordred froze. His mind began to race. Why would Merlin take  _ Arthur Pendragon _ , son of the most famous magic-hater in Camelot’s history, to the birthplace of magic itself? 

Merlin interrupted his thoughts,  _ ‘Just thought you should know.’ _ Mordred met Merlin’s eyes for a moment before the warlock got up and walked off towards the horses, preparing them for the rest of the journey. 

Mordred’s heart began to pound heavily. Merlin had given him a warning but Mordred couldn’t figure out why. What was Merlin planning? 

Once Arthur woke up, the three packed up their camp and set off to find the crystal cave with Merlin leading the way. Merlin was still silent, and Arthur thought he could sense some uneasy tension between his two companions but he couldn’t understand what it was about. It was nearly noon when Merlin stopped his horse and signalled the others to do the same. 

They had arrived in a clearing deep in the woods along the base of an ancient escarpment. At first, Arthur didn’t understand why they were stopping until he saw Merlin dismount his horse. There was nothing about the area that seemed special to Arthur, it looked just the same as the rest of the escarpment they had been riding along for the last half hour. Arthur didn’t know how Merlin knew they had arrived.

The three left their horses near some trees and Merlin walked straight towards a small opening in the rocky wall that was hard to see if you didn’t already know it was there. Merlin disappeared into the dark cave interior.

“Merlin, wait! Merlin, where are you going?” Arthur called with a note of panic in his voice.

Merlin’s head popped back into the sunlight. “It is called the crystal  _ cave _ , Arthur. You do have to go inside to find it.” 

Arthur stamped his foot and crossed his arms. “I know what a cave is, Merlin! It might be dangerous, you can’t just walk in. Also, how are we going to see where we’re going?  _ Someone _ forgot to pack torches.” Arthur waved to their supplies.

“It’s fine,” Merlin replied innocently, “It’s not very dark in here, actually.” With that, Merlin disappeared once more into the mouth of the cave.

Arthur sighed in defeat and drew his sword before following Merlin in. Mordred hesitated for a moment before walking in as well.

It took a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the darkness, but eventually Arthur could make out the rough rocks and boulders that lined the cave. There weren’t just rocks, though, Arthur noticed there were also small opaque crystals scattered through the walls and floor. The crystals glowed faintly, just enough that they were never in complete darkness.

Arthur looked around and saw a Merlin-shaped figure already heading down a narrow path that had a brighter glow at its end. Arthur looked at Mordred who just shrugged and followed Merlin. 

As they walked, the crystals that lined the walls grew in size. Arthur realized that the now fist-sized crystals were throwing more light into the cave causing the shadows to gradually recede. 

The trudged on, and finally after what felt like forever, Merlin led them round a corner into a massive cavern adorned with glittering crystals, some as large as boulders protruding from the floor and others jutted out of the ceiling. Arthur’s jaw dropped as he stepped into the cavern, too amazed by its beauty to remember he should be on guard, his sword arm dropped lazily to his side. 

Mordred looked as awestruck as Arthur felt, and the two simply staggered slowly around the cavern. It truly was a  _ beautiful _ place. Arthur had never seen such a magnificent sight. When Arthur returned his gaze to his companions, he saw that Merlin had already made his way over to a particularly large and impressive crystal standing near the middle of the cavern. The man was facing the other two, wringing his hands together and waiting for Arthur and Mordred to approach. Arthur began to walk towards Merlin and noticed that his friend had a very unusual expression on his face.

Merlin looked afraid.

It was very rare for Arthur to see him this way, after all, Merlin was the bravest man Arthur had ever known, even if he hated to admit it. Something must really be wrong for Merlin to be fearful. This was the same man who faced a dragon without any armour, who tried to fist-fight an evil sorcerer, who insults the King of Camelot to his face every day for goodness sake. What could possibly have put that horrible look of fear and dread on his face? 

Merlin took a deep breath as Arthur approached the large crystal next to Merlin and looked into his friend’s eyes.

“Arthur,” Merlin began slowly, fidgeting with his scarf before reaching his hands backwards to lean on the large crystal’s flat face. “There’s something--” Merlin stopped and stumbled away from the crystal that had suddenly begun glowing at Merlin’s touch. Arthur watched in shock as the crystal began filling up with a bright blue light that started at the top near where Merlin had touched it and slowly crept down to the crystal’s base. Suddenly, the blue light began to flow fluidly out of the top of the crystal and into the air. The light swirled and eventually began to group together to form a blurry figure. Arthur raised his sword as Mordred drew his.

The figure was large and slowly came into focus as the light drained out of the crystal, its shape was that of a large, raggedy-looking old man with a wild beard. As time went on, the light seemed to solidify itself until Arthur, Merlin, and Mordred were staring at a vaguely-familiar and still faintly glowing man. Arthur couldn’t quite figure out why he felt he recognized the man until Merlin let out a faint and incredulous whisper.

“ _ Balinor _ ?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the second chapter of my first fic, hope you like it please give me some feedback if you feel like it :)  
> Also, I'm working on the next few chapters rn, I'm not too sure how many there will be but it probably will not be a very long story.


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin was shocked, to say the least. He had no idea that any mysterious figures would be appearing in the cave, let alone the ghost of Merlin’s secret father. Merlin still had never told Arthur that he was Balinor’s son, it would have just led to more questions that Merlin didn’t want to answer. 

Balinor’s ghostly figure looked at Merlin warmly. “Hello again,” he said softly.

Merlin couldn’t speak and instead just stared back at his father, too shocked for tears to form in his eyes.

“Balinor, the _d_ _ ragonlord _ ?” Arthur said. “How--what’s going on?”

Merlin and Mordred just gaped at the man.

Balinor shifted his calm gaze to Arthur, his movements made no sound. 

“I am an illusion, summoned by the cave,” Balinor said simply. “My purpose here is to help you uncover the truth of the past so that you may change the future.”

Arthur had no idea what to say to this and settled on just putting away his sword. 

“Now tell me,” Balinor spoke to the group as a whole, “What is the purpose of your visit here?”

Arthur opened his mouth to speak but stopped. Why were they there, exactly? Merlin had said something about ancient knowledge but that wasn’t really the kind of answer he wanted to give to Balinor. Arthur was opening his to speak again when Merlin cut in.

“We need to hear the prophecy about Arthur.”

Arthur spun around to look at Merlin. “ _ Merlin,  _ what  _ are _ you doing?” he hissed. What prophecy was he talking about? Merlin ignored Arthur and kept his eyes fixed on Balinor.

“The prophecy, of course,” Balinor replied softly. The ghostly man now stepped beside the large crystal he had emerged from and beckoned the other three to come closer. “Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King of Camelot,” Balinor waved a pearly hand across the crystal and an image of Arthur appeared in the crystal’s flat face. “Destined to unite Albion and return magic to Camelot.” 

Arthur’s mind was racing. He was to return magic to Camelot? And hadn’t Merlin called him the Once and Future King before? Balinor interrupted his thoughts as he continued.

“Arthur, you will bring peace to the land, but you can only hope to do so with the help of the sorcerer called Emrys.”

Arthur frowned, “Emrys. Have I ever met him, Merlin? The name sounds familiar...”

A smile flickered across Merlin’s face before he replied, “I believe you have met once or twice, sire.” 

Mordred let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

Balinor began to explain, “Emrys is just one name he goes by, given to him by the druids long ago. Perhaps you know him by another name.” Balinor’s eyes twinkled in Merlin’s direction briefly. “The man is not just a sorcerer, Arthur. He is magic itself, the most powerful warlock to ever live.”

Arthur didn’t know what to think. He, supposedly, was meant to unite Albion, bring  _ magic _ back to Camelot, and do it all with the help of the most powerful sorcerer to  _ ever _ live. It was a lot to take in, and yet Merlin seemed to be handling the new information quite well. He rounded on his friend who was staring at the floor.

“You’ve heard the prophecy before, haven’t you, Merlin?” Arthur’s tone was accusatory with a hint of fear creeping in. 

Merlin nods without looking up at Arthur. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Arthur’s voice was weak.

Merlin met Arthur’s gaze. “Arthur, I’m sorry I--”

“I’ve heard it too,” Mordred interrupted suddenly. Up until that point, Arthur had almost forgotten Mordred was there as well. He had fallen silent when they first entered the cave. Now, Arthur looked over to Mordred and found that the man was staring at the floor and seemed ashamed of something.

Arthur looked back and forth between the two of them. “You both knew? Is there anything else you two aren’t telling me?” Arthur demanded.

Merlin and Mordred quickly shot nervous glances at each other. 

“Actually, Mordred,” Merlin said slowly, “there is a part to the prophecy I don’t believe you have heard.” Mordred looked at Merlin confusedly. 

Balinor waved his hand again over the large crystal and the image changed. 

Arthur took a step backwards as a dragon dropped into view in the crystal and let out a deafening roar. The dragon appeared to be in a large cave and Arthur recognized him as the great dragon that him and his knights had killed a few years ago.

_ “Did you have to do that?” _ A startled voice echoed from the crystal but Arthur could not see who it belonged to.  _ “You scared the life out of me!” _

_ “The young warlock,” _ said Kilgharrah,  _ “No doubt you’re here about the druid boy.” _

Arthur looked around confusedly at his companions.

“What are they talking about?” he asked.

“Remember that druid boy who was being hunted down in Camelot?” Merlin asked.

Arthur thought back, he remembered something of the sort. “We helped him escape the castle, right?” It was so many years ago, the details escaped him for the moment and Arthur turned back to the crystal. 

“ _ \--Why does he call me Emrys? _ ” The unknown voice in the crystal asked.

_ “Because that is your name,” _ Kilgharrah replied simply.

Arthur cut in again, “Emrys! He must live in Camelot to have found the dragon,” Arthur looked around again and saw that neither Merlin nor Mordred seemed surprised at this new revelation. Merlin’s face was hardened, his expression giving no insight for Arthur into his thoughts. Mordred, on the other hand, looked as if he were about to throw up.

Arthur didn’t have time to think about this and instead turned back to the crystal as Kilgharrah continued.

_ “There is much written about you that you have yet to read. You must not protect this boy.” _

_ “Why?” _ the other voice, Emrys, asked. Arthur could hear Mordred start to breathe heavily next to him.

_ “If the boy lives,” _ the dragon continued,  _ “You cannot fulfill your destiny.” _

_ “What’s he got to do with my destiny?” _ Emrys sounded angry now,  _ “You said it’s my destiny to protect Arthur--” _

_ “Then you have the answer you seek,” _ interrupted Kilgharrah.

Arthur was completely lost but listened as Emrys continued.

_ “You’re telling me,” _ he said slowly,  _ “that little boy is going to kill Arthur?” _

_ “It seems that is up to you.” _

The image dissolved, the voices faded, and the crystal cave fell silent. Arthur was extremely confused. What did Emrys mean he was destined to protect Arthur? Why did he need a sorcerer to protect him from a boy? Arthur tried to remember details about the druid boy. He remembered catching Morgana helping him and then breaking the boy out of the dungeons himself. Arthur furrowed his brow. He remembered bringing the boy back to the druids but he felt there was some important detail missing.

Arthur turned to look at Merlin and Mordred. Mordred appeared to be frozen with fear.

Arthur, concerned about the young knight, took a step towards him. “Mordred, are you alright?” Arthur reached out a hand to rest on Mordred’s shoulder but Mordred took a step backwards. Arthur raised an eyebrow in confusion. Was Mordred scared of him? Mordred tried to take another step backwards but ended up bumping into another crystal. The knight looked so small and Arthur was struck with a sudden memory. Arthur lowered his arm and moved so he was standing directly in front of Mordred, the man unable to backup any further with the crystal pressing into his back.

“The night I returned that boy to the druids,” Arthur began slowly, not taking his eyes off of Mordred’s face, “I was just about to leave but the boy called me back…” Arthur thought hard, trying to recall every detail of that moment. “He--he told me his name.”

Merlin whipped his head around to look at Arthur but the king had not stopped staring into Mordred’s piercing blue eyes. Mordred’s fear had seemed to deepen with each word Arthur spoke, and he now held an expression of pure terror.

Arthur took another step towards Mordred who found that he could not move, the two were now only a foot apart. Arthur reached up slowly to grab the neck of Mordred’s tunic. Mordred could do nothing but look back and forth between Arthur and Merlin as Arthur slowly pulled down on the knight’s shirt, revealing the druid mark on his chest.

“His name was Mordred,” Arthur said softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me through this! Please leave me a comment if you have a minute, I'd love some feedback


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go boys

“His name was Mordred,” Arthur said softly

Mordred was petrified. He tried to distance himself from Arthur but he was already backed up against a large crystal protruding from the cave floor and Arthur was not letting go of his tunic. 

“Sire, please,” Mordred said worriedly, “Sire, I swear I would never do anything to hurt you.” 

Arthur thought for a minute. He had known Mordred for quite some time, and he had proven to be a loyal knight. Why should he take the word of a dragonlord over that of his friend? Arthur’s hardened expression softened slightly and he let go of Mordred’s tunic but he did not turn his back to the man.

Behind Arthur, Balinor waved his hand and more images began to appear across crystals all over the cave. 

Arthur jumped slightly when he saw an image appear in a crystal over Mordred’s head. He looked up to see a raging battlefield full of Camelot knights locked in battle with an enemy army. Looking around, he saw another crystal showing a wild-haired Morgana lounging upon a throne in an unknown castle with a slightly older-looking Mordred kneeling at her feet. 

Arthur spun around, everywhere he looked there was another vision, each more horrible than the last. He saw dragons swooping through the sky, an old sorcerer striking lightning into a battle, his knights fighting some unknown army while outnumbered five to one, but it was something else that caused Arthur’s breath to catch.

The last crystal that Arthur focused upon showed an image of himself standing in a rocky pass, bodies of knights littered across the ground around him while he held his sword aloft. Mordred approached him in the image, wearing black armour instead of his usual Camelot red with a wicked sword in hand. Vision-Arthur looked sadly at Mordred as his old friend approached. The vision of Mordred stood for just a moment in front of Arthur before plunging his sword into the King’s gut, looking the man in the eyes as he did so. He withdrew the sword and Arthur staggered back before stabbing his own sword through Mordred’s chest. Vision-Mordred fell to the ground with a smile on his face and Arthur collapsed seconds later. The images all around the cave dissolved and were replaced with the usual soft glow of the crystals.

Arthur whirled around once more to face Mordred, anger, betrayal, and confusion plastered on his face.

“You were friends with Morgana. Before we met. I shouldn’t have trusted you-”

Mordred’s eyes were red and shiny with tears. “Sire, please, I would never do anything to hurt you or Camelot,” he pleaded.

“You do not deny that you were the boy from before? You do not deny that you have been lying to me all this time?” Arthur’s face turned red with fury and he drew his sword, pointing it at Mordred’s chest.

Mordred looked small as he stood with his back pressed to a crystal and his hands raised in surrender. “I do not deny it, sire,” he says ashamedly. “But I do not accept that I am destined to--to  _ kill _ you,” he faltered, then froze again. Mordred looked suddenly up at Merlin, “So, this is why you never trusted me, Merlin?”

Arthur looked around to see Merlin swallow and nod his head, his jaw set.

Arthur frowned and lowered his sword slightly, “That means… you knew. You knew he was a--a druid this whole time, Merlin?” Arthur’s voice began to shake, “You knew that he was meant to kill me, you  _ knew _ he was a druid and  _ you didn’t tell me _ .”

Merlin looked down and mumbled, “I sort of told you…”

Arthur’s furious glare intensified.

“I mean, I told you I didn’t like him--didn’t trust him,” Merlin said quickly.

Mordred whipped his head around to face Merlin. “Why would you--” Mordred suddenly turned pale. “Merlin, did you bring me here because you want me...dead?” Mordred’s voice was small and his terror stricken eyes glanced quickly at the sword still pointing at his chest.

“No, no, Mordred, of course not,” Merlin recovered quickly, “I just thought Arthur should know--”

“So you’re just going to throw me to the wolves? I have always put my faith in you and this is how you repay me!” The knight’s voice was raised and his breathing heavy.

“It’s not like that, Mordred! Arthur needed to know--”

“Know  _ what _ Merlin?” Mordred interrupted, his words aimed like daggers.

“Know EVERYTHING!” 

“Wait… really? Even the part about… Emrys?”

Merlin sighed. “Yes.”

Arthur, confused from the outbursts, managed to compose his thoughts enough to ask a question. “So, what--who is Emrys?”

This time, it was Balinor who answered, “Emrys is just a name, a title given by the druids.”

Arthur nodded, having already heard this part.

“Both you and I know him by another name, Arthur.” 

Suddenly, images in the crystals appeared again, showing the inside of a small hut where a baby was held in a young Balinor’s arms. A familiar young woman stood next to him and tickled the baby’s face. 

“Emrys was my son, but that was not what we named him.” 

The scene changed to show the baby becoming a toddler that flings his toys around the shack of a house with a golden flash of his eyes, giggling all the while.

“I had to leave my family when my son was young. It was during the purge, and I was being persecuted by knights. I didn’t meet my son again until shortly before I died.”

The images swirled around to show Arthur talking to Dragoon and then the Dolma.

“Emrys has taken on different disguises all in the name of protecting Camelot. He has been helping you for years, saving your life more times than you can count.”

Arthur was quiet. He didn’t know what to think, but one question burned through his mind.

“Who is he, really?”

Balinor looked to Merlin who nodded before Balinor reached to touch the crystal beside him. The image changes and once again shows the great dragon sitting in a dark cave, obviously talking to Emrys once more. Voices began to echo from the crystal.

_ “Ah, but the young prince is your destiny, the two of you will one day unite Albion and bring peace to the land.” _

Another voice, Emrys, responded,  _ “Are you sure we’re talking about the same prince? I have to protect  _ that  _ clotpole? He’s such an ass.” _ Arthur’s heart skipped a beat. He would recognize that voice anywhere, even if it sounded about 10 years younger than it did now. The crystal’s view changed to show a young Merlin his old leather jacket and his dumb scarf, holding up a torch while having a casual converstion with a dragon. 

Arthur staggered back, his sword dropped to the ground.

“Mer--what?”

Merlin smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry, Arthur.”


End file.
